Action In Montgomery

ORGANZING CAREER: Alisa Glassman has worked with the Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF) since 1996. She began her organizing career with the IAF affiliate BUILD in Baltimore where she worked on the nation’s first Living Wage Campaign. She also led the first organizing campaign where individuals on welfare won the right to have higher education count as a valid welfare work activity. In 2001, Ms. Glassman moved to Montgomery County and worked for two other IAF affiliates Action In Montgomery (AIM) and Washington Interfaith Network (WIN). Ms. Glassman was hired by AIM to be AIM’s Lead Organizer in 2005.

Ms. Glassman has led campaigns on a variety of economic and social justice issues including affordable housing, immigration, youth issues and pedestrian safety. Some of the victories that she has recently led include: $94 million for affordable housing, $29.7 million to build recreation centers in historic African American communities and $400,000 for 0% interest loans to displaced tenants to use for down payments on new homes. In addition, Ms. Glassman has worked on a variety of non-partisan political precinct work in cities and suburbs in Maryland and Ohio.

EDUCATION: Alisa Glassman is an alumnus of the Shriver Peaceworker Fellows Program. The Shriver Peaceworker Fellows Program supports Returned Peace Corps Volunteers through a selective service-learning scholarship program integrating: graduate study, community service, and ethical reflection, preparing them for leadership positions in diverse fields of public and private service. Ms. Glassman has a Masters of Social Work from University of Maryland at Baltimore and a BA in Education from Boston University.

SERVICE: Peace Corps Volunteer in Ecuador, South America.

AWARDS: The first Practical Idealist Award by the Shriver Peaceworker Fellows Program. Awarded to alumni of the Peaceworker Program whose ongoing work exemplifies practical idealism.

PUBLICATIONS: "Making Work Pay" published in Shelterforce in 1998.